The Uses of Darkness
by Aesa Bast
Summary: The sequel to Gaz's Journal is finally here! You have been warned...
1. Beauty Fades

"The Uses of Darkness"  
by: Aesa Bast  
  
This is the sequel to "Gaz's Journal" and if you thought that was disturbing, you don't want to touch this with a hundred-foot pole. These two fics were not meant to touch the purposeful goofy stupidity of the ads I created (the original ads were just as dumb, I assure you) and if you don't like to get freaked, I suggest you stay far, far away...  
  
  
  
"I like the way he..."  
  
Dib slowly closed the journal and put it down. He would have dropped it if he wasn't so stunned. Gaz... his sister... was with... with... that thing - ZIM. Gaz and ZIM? He knew neither of them weren't that fond of him, or many other people for that matter, but to actually be together? Like that?  
  
Not to mention he couldn't see his sister not playing a more dominant role if she did enter a relationship. But this was S & M, pure and simple. Why would she, Gaz, let anyone treat her so sadistically and actually ENJOY it? Dib knew ZIM must have done some sort of brainwashing or something similar to her - to his sister. He had to do something.  
  
Meanwhile, ZIM was contemplating the uses of his relationship with Gaz. Originally, the thing that brought them together was a shared joy of bringing misery to the stinkbeast known as Dib. However, he had gradually drawn her closer to him, first through the creation of the Game Slave 2. Yes, it was his idea, after observing her play the original for so long.  
  
But this wasn't an ordinary game - in it were subliminal messages to make her, and by extension, those other humans who played the Game Slave 2, his willing servants. Gaz, however, was a special case. She had managed to avoid being spellbound by Pustulio for one thing, but more importantly, she was Dib's sister and there was a likelihood that she was privy to his secrets. ZIM also wanted to test the power of the subliminal messages against this headstrong female.  
  
So far, they were a tremendous success, allowing him to be utterly sadistic with her. He had enjoyed tearing down her ego and shielding armor, leaving Gaz utterly broken psychologically through these predations. It was positively delicious.  
  
Still, not even ZIM could imagine the things that would happen later through his actions...  



	2. Thrones Crumble

"Intruder alert."  
  
ZIM looked up and checked on what his lawn gnomes had detected - it was Dib. What luck if he managed to brainwash HIM! After all, he managed to hypnotize him, for a while at least, with Pustulio... if he was permanently under his control...  
  
Dib knew something had to be up though when the lawn gnomes didn't fire. It was a pity he didn't know that ZIM had complete control over his grounds though - until he suddenly fell through a pipe that suddenly came up from underneath him.  
  
When Dib came to, he realized that he was in ZIM's lab, strapped down to a chair. G. I. R. was singing The Doom Song in the background and he waited for ZIM's inevitable arrival.  
  
ZIM did arrive, several hours later, grinning as Dib screamed for G. I. R. to stop singing already. When Dib saw ZIM, he stopped, his voice raspy.  
  
"What did you do to my sister?"  
  
"Oh, nothing more than I'm going to do to you."  
  
Dib stretched up as far as he could, "Tell me!" And ZIM did.  



	3. Hope Dissolves

Dib managed to keep what little composure he had until ZIM left, and he broke down sobbing. His sister, a shell of her former self and barely that. And all because of ZIM and her obsession with those damnable Game Slaves.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Dib looked up. G. I. R. had stopped singing and was watching him.  
  
"I'm... crying."  
  
"I cried once. I ate a cupcake and I was missing it."  
  
"I'm crying because ZIM hurt my sister."  
  
"That's bad?"  
  
Dib looked at G. I. R. for a moment, stunned, but then realized that as ZIM's robot, he wouldn't understand... although, he didn't seem to understand much.  
  
"Yes, it's bad. But if you let me go, I'll stop crying and will be able to help my sister."  
  
G. I. R. unbound Dib from the chair, after some initial difficulties. Dib stretched, then thanked G. I. R. before looking for the way out.  
  
ZIM was watching all this and readied himself for when Dib came up. Dib wouldn't even know what hit him.  
  
All Dib had time to do was scream as the shot from ZIM's gun tore through him.  



	4. Trust Withers

"Where are I?"  
  
"You're in Limbo."  
  
"I'm dead? That bastard ZIM killed me! But... but that doesn't explain who you are."  
  
"You can call me Ankou. I am Death."  
  
Dib looked around at the misty surroundings. It was hard to make out any discernible details, but he knew one thing - he had to get out of here somehow, or else Earth was screwed.  
  
"Say, don't I get a chance to play some sort of game in order to come back to life?"  
  
Ankou put a bony hand to... his forehead? Dib wasn't sure, but the skeleton man looked rather put out.  
  
"I was hoping people had forgotten about that. But still," he dropped his hand back to his side, "We don't do the game bit anymore. We kept losing people who wanted to come back, and it was really starting to mess up the balance."  
  
"But I HAVE to go back! A horrible alien is going to take over Earth and I have to stop him! I'm the only one who knows!"  
  
Ankou paused in thought before speaking, "Well... conquests do tend to get things muddled until we figure out where to send all the dead... I won't get into the details, because it would get too confusing. Anyways, I suppose you can go back."  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"But you must choose somebody else to take your place... and no, it can't be the alien."  
  
"I have to kill somebody?" Dib was horrified.  
  
"Well, not exactly. You just have to say the word and everything else will fall into place."  
  
"But still..."  
  
"Those are the rules. Take them or leave them."  
  
"OK," Dib sighed, "I'll do it."   



	5. Love Dies

The bright sunlight temporarily blinded Dib. But he was back! Dib jumped up and yelled out joyously until he remembered what the price was for this miracle.  
  
Dib wondered what to do as he walked back home. Who could he let die if it couldn't be ZIM? He considered Ms. Bitters, but was afraid that Ankou might do something to him in revenge.  
  
He looked at the streets around him as if looking at them for the first time. Even if he stopped ZIM, would Gaz ever be the same?  
  
"But still, if she didn't come back to herself, at least she would probably not be picking on me anymore..." But Dib was shocked at himself for this rationalization, and wondered what possessed him to think such a thing.  
  
He continued walking home.  
  
"She did though... she was too concerned with herself and her oh-so-precious games to think of anyone else's feelings. If she hadn't dragged me out to the mall to get that Game Slave 2, this never would've happened. And that mall was creepy - I almost was stuck there forever!"  
  
He was fuming as he turned into his yard. And there was Gaz, dressed in a black shift-dress and playing her Game Slave 2, oblivious to the world around her and the scars that showed on her arms and face.  
  
Dib looked at her for a moment.  
  
Gaz looked up, having seen his shadow.  
  
They locked eyes, and Dib narrowed his.  
  
"Take her! Take Gaz away!"  
  
  
  
Notes: As you can tell, I'm not a Gaz fan... I'm a huge fan of ZIM and Dib alike, even though I hint, rather heavily, at this ZIM being a "sadistic monster" and portray Dib as incredibly vengeful. I originally got the idea for this fic from a section the Babylonian story of Inanna and Dumuzi. Ankou was one of the original concepts of the Grim Reaper.  



End file.
